There is an information recording and reproducing apparatus that performs a so-called background formatting when, for example, formatting a DVD+RW disc which is a rewritable disc. In the background formatting, a notification of completion of formatting is sent to a host computer at a time when recording is performed on only a part of a lead-in area of the DVD+RW disc, and a remaining area is recorded by dummy data when there is no access request from the host computer. According to the background formatting, a formatting process time is greatly reduced.
Additionally, as another feature of the background formatting, there is an advantage that a disk can be ejected in the middle of a formatting process. At that time, in order to enable reproduction by a conventional reproduction only apparatus, when ejecting a disc in a middle of a formatting process, the disc is ejected after filling an unrecorded area of a data area with dummy data and recording a lead-in area and a lead-out area. Thus, logical compatibility of the disc, which is ejected in the middle of the formatting process, with a DVD-ROM can be maintained.
In recent years, a dual-layer DVD+RW disc (DVD+RW DL (Dual Layer) Disc), which has two recording layers, has been developed as a disc on which a large amount of data can be recorded. Accordingly, there has been developed an information recording and reproducing apparatus, which performs recording and reproduction with respect to the dual-layer DVD+RW disc (for example, refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2004-303421).
The background formatting is also used for the dual-layer DVD+RW disc, similar to the DVD+RW disc having a single recording layer. That is, a part of a lead-in area is recorded for a request for formatting from a host computer, and a notification of completion of the formatting is sent to the host computer so as to enable an access by the host computer and user data is recorded from a data area of the first layer. Then, while there is no access request from the host computer, remaining areas from the first layer to the second layer are recorded with dummy data. Additionally, eject of the disc in the middle of formatting process is enabled.
However, when ejecting the dual-layer DVD+RW disc in the middle of a formatting process, data is recorded in a temporary middle zone (TMZ) immediately after recording end position of user data of the first layer and the data of the temporary middle zone is recorded immediately after a position corresponding to the user data recording end position in a data area of the second layer, and the disc is ejected after filling an unrecorded part of the data area of the second layer with dummy data so as to maintain compatibility with a DVD-ROM.
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are illustrations for explaining a process performed when ejecting a dual-layer DVD+RW disc in the middle of a conventional formatting process.
As shown in FIG. 1, after recording an initial zone 50 of a lead-in area, recording instructed by a host computer is permitted. Then, if a request of ejecting the optical disc is made when the user data 51 is recorded, data 52 of a temporary middle zone is recorded from the end of the recorded position of the user data 51 as shown in FIG. 2, and data 53 of the temporary middle zone is recorded immediately after a position corresponding to the above-mentioned user data recording end position in the second layer. Then, an unrecorded area 54 in the second layer is recorded with dummy data, and, thereafter, the lead-in area 55 and the lead-out area 56 are recorded and, then, the optical disc is ejected.
However, in the conventional information recording and reproducing apparatus, if a last recording position of user data or a format end position of a recording medium having two recording layers, an area in the second layer corresponding to the first recording layer must be recorded with dummy data when a request of ejecting the recording medium is made. Thus, there is a problem that it takes a considerably long time until the recording medium is ejected.